Senators Introduce "Balanced" Bill That Aims to End Warrant-Proof Encryption
upstart writes in with an IRC submission:
Graham, Cotton introduce yet another attempt to torpedo encryption:
On Tuesday, Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) introduced yet another bill attempting to poke holes in data encryption, called the Lawful Access To Encrypted Data Act. This bill follows previous US efforts to weaken encryption, including March's proposed EARN IT Act and demands made by US Attorney General William Barr in his 2019 keynote address at the International Conference on Cyber Security.
A press release from the Senate Judiciary Committee-which is chaired by Graham-describes the bill as "a balanced solution that keeps in mind the constitutional rights afforded to all Americans, while providing law enforcement the tools needed to protect the public from everyday violent crime and threats to our national security." It goes on to emphasize-in both bold and italic text-that the bill would "only" require service providers to grant law enforcement a back door after a court issues a warrant.
Graham expresses his personal position in strong terms:
Terrorists and criminals routinely use technology, whether smartphones, apps, or other means, to coordinate and communicate [...] tech companies have refused to honor [court orders] and assist law enforcement in their investigations. My position is clear: After law enforcement obtains the necessary court authorizations, they should be able to retrieve information to assist in their investigations. Our legislation respects and protects the privacy rights of law-abiding Americans.
Unfortunately, as is typical for these resolutions, Graham's expressed ideas don't adhere to technological reality. In order for a service provider to "honor and assist" law enforcement investigations in the way Graham demands, it would necessarily-and fatally-have to compromise the very encryption it offered in the first place. This would apply to every consumer the provider services (American or otherwise), whether a warrant were issued or not.
Encryption doesn't work that way
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